Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)

What Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) does

CCARDESA (Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa) is an intergovernmental coordination body headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana, established by the 16 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The organization's mandate is to harmonize the implementation of agricultural research and development across the SADC region, operating through National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), government ministries of agriculture, and agricultural extension services. CCARDESA's primary beneficiaries are smallholder farmers across the 16 SADC member states, with secondary stakeholders including national agricultural research institutions and development partners.

The organization manages a portfolio of donor-funded regional programs spanning climate-smart agriculture (AICCRA, ACCRA), agricultural productivity (APPSA), food systems resilience (FSRP), natural resource management (C-NRM), and continental coordination (CAADP-XP4). CCARDESA's technology infrastructure consists of the CCARDESA mobile application for extension workers, the SAAIKS Knowledge Hub for research dissemination, the Resilience Watch climate and disaster risk service, and the SADC Soil Health and Fertilizer Hub. Programs are organized around six thematic areas: agricultural productivity and food security, capacity strengthening, commercialization and market access, knowledge management and policy support, climate resilience, and women, youth and social inclusion.

CCARDESA operates as a non-profit coordination entity with revenue derived entirely from donor grants provided by development partners including the European Union, GIZ, BMUV, World Bank, IFAD, USAID, Swiss Development Agency, FAO, CGIAR centers, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. With a staff of 11-50 employees, the organization coordinates the implementation of programs that have collectively reached 4.61 million beneficiaries, trained 97,000 farmers, supported 41,300 lead farmers, and connected 3,720 value chain actors to climate-smart agriculture. CCARDESA does not generate commercial revenue and applies no pricing model; its value proposition is institutional coordination rather than commercial service delivery.

Name

Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)

Legal name

Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)

Website

https://ccardesa.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CCARDESA is a SADC-mandated intergovernmental coordination body headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana, that harmonizes agricultural research and development across 16 Southern African member states through donor-funded regional programs, knowledge platforms, and partnerships with national agricultural research systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Coordination

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB), Resilient Livelihoods & Climate-Smart Food Security (BPADAJAH), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Agricultural research coordination
• Regional development programs
• Climate-smart agriculture
• Knowledge management systems
• Food systems resilience

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaborone, Gaborone

HQ country

Botswana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding: CCARDESA operates primarily through grant funding from development partners including EU, GIZ, BMUV, World Bank, IFAD, and other international donors to implement regional agricultural research and development programs

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CCARDESA coordinates agricultural research and development across 16 SADC member states, implementing donor-funded programs and managing digital knowledge platforms to drive climate-smart agriculture adoption, capacity strengthening, food systems resilience, and regional harmonization of agricultural R&D. Its offerings include the CCARDESA mobile application, the SAAIKS Knowledge Hub, Resilience Watch, and the SADC Soil Health and Fertilizer Hub, delivered through programmes such as AICCRA, ACCRA, APPSA, FSRP, and CAADP-XP4.

Product overview

CCARDESA operates as a coordination body for agricultural research and development across the SADC region. The organization offers a portfolio of programs and tools including the CCARDESA App (a mobile application for agricultural extension workers), the Knowledge Hub (an online resource repository), Resilience Watch (climate risk updates), and the SADC Soil Health and Fertilizer Hub. These products are organized around six thematic areas: Agricultural Productivity and Food Security, Capacity Strengthening, Commercialisation and Market Access, Knowledge Management and Policy Support, Climate Resilience, and Women, Youth and Social Inclusion. The organization coordinates regional programs including AICCRA, ACCRA, APPSA, FSRP, CAADP-XP4, and others targeting agricultural transformation across 16 SADC member states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CCARDESA App
• SAAIKS Knowledge Hub An online knowledge management platform providing access to agricultural research, publications, and resources for the SADC region.
• Resilience Watch Climate and disaster risk update service providing early warning information and resilience-related data for Southern Africa.
• SADC Soil Health and Fertilizer Hub A specialized platform focusing on soil health information and fertilizer best practices for the SADC region.
• Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) Regional program that accelerates dissemination of CGIAR climate research and climate-smart agriculture innovations across the SADC region.
• Adaptation to Climate Change in Rural Areas in Southern Africa (ACCRA) Regional program addressing climate change adaptation in rural areas of Southern Africa, supporting vulnerable agricultural communities.
• Agricultural Productivity Program for Southern Africa (APPSA) Regional program designed to improve agricultural productivity and technology transfer across SADC member states.
• Food Systems Resilience Programme for Eastern and Southern Africa (FSRP) World Bank-financed regional program strengthening food systems resilience across Eastern and Southern Africa, targeting climate adaptation and value chain development.
• The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme ex-Pillar 4 (CAADP-XP4) Continental program coordinated by CCARDESA implementing Pillar 4 of the CAADP framework, supporting agricultural research, knowledge management, and policy across Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.61 million beneficiaries reached through programs
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regional, technical and academic.

• CGIARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal agricultural research partnership working on food science to address hunger, operating research centers and programs that collaborate with CCARDESA on climate-smart agriculture.
• ASARECA - Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional agricultural research forum for Eastern and Central Africa, collaborating with CCARDESA on knowledge management and joint initiatives.
• FARA - Forum for Agricultural Research for AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican forum coordinating agricultural research across the continent, partnering on CAADP-XP4 and other continental initiatives.
• FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger, partnering on agricultural development and food security programs.
• AGRA - Alliance for a Green Revolution in AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican agriculture development organization focused on transforming smallholder farming through sustainable agricultural growth.
• AU - African UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinental body providing policy direction for agriculture through CAADP framework, with CCARDESA as implementing partner.
• AFAAS - African Forum for Agricultural Advisory ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork advancing agricultural advisory services across Africa, partnering on knowledge sharing and capacity development.
• COMESA - Common Market for East and Southern AfricaregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic community with agricultural programs, collaborating on market access and trade facilitation.
• CIRAD - Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développementtechnicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench agricultural research institution for sustainable development, contributing technical expertise to CCARDESA programs.
• CIAT - International Center for Tropical AgriculturetechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR research center focusing on tropical agriculture, providing research expertise for CCARDESA climate-smart agriculture programs.
• CIMMYT - International Maize and Wheat Improvement CentertechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR center improving maize and wheat systems, partnering on crop improvement and sustainable intensification programs.
• IITA - International Institute of Tropical AgriculturetechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR institute addressing hunger and poverty through agricultural research, collaborating on tropical crop systems.
• ILRI - International Livestock Research InstitutetechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR institute conducting research on livestock and sustainable agricultural systems, partnering on livestock programs.
• ICRAF - World Agroforestry CentretechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR center advancing agroforestry science and practices for sustainable development.
• ICRISAT - International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid TropicstechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR institute developing drought-resistant crops for semi-arid regions.
• IRRI - International Rice Research InstitutetechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR institute focused on rice science and sustainable rice production systems.
• IWMI - International Water Management InstitutetechnicalTechnology or IntegrationCGIAR institute working on sustainable water management in agriculture, partnering on climate-smart water practices.
• CAAS - Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerChinese national agricultural research institution engaging in international agricultural cooperation.
• FiBL - Research Institute of Organic AgriculturetechnicalTechnology or IntegrationSwiss research institute specializing in organic farming research and development.
• RUFORUM - Regional University Forum for Capacity DevelopmentacademicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of universities building higher education capacity in agriculture across Africa.
• CORAF/WECARD - West and Central African Council for Agricultural ResearchregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional agricultural research coordination body for West and Central Africa, collaborating on continental initiatives.
• SABRN - Southern African Bean Research NetworktechnicalTechnology or IntegrationRegional research network focused on bean research and improvement in Southern Africa.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ccardesa_sadc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CCARDESA
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/ccardesa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ccardesa
• Instagraminstagram.com/ccardesa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)